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Right-wing and banned groups have a strong presence on the ground

Right-wing organisations, including banned extremist groups, are leading the relief and rescue effort in flood-hit Pakistan.

Three of the most prominent groups, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Sipah-e-Sahaba have thousands of activists who have fanned out across the country.

All are very powerful on the ground despite having limited or no officially recognised political representation.

Their relief effort comes as Pakistan's government is dogged by accusations that it has been slow to respond to the crisis.

More than 1,600 people have died and 14 million have been affected by the worst floods in Pakistan's history.

Taliban 'reconciliation'

"We have 100,000 activists deployed in flood-affected areas across the country," says Naimatullah Khan, head of the Al-Khidmat (The Service) organisation, the social welfare wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan's largest and most influential right-wing political party.

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In some flood-hit areas, the army and the government are nowhere to be seen

The party is a staunch opponent of Pakistan's military co-operation with the US and favours "reconciliation" with the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It is now one of the most active out of dozens of Islamic groups operating in the disaster zone.

Mr Khan says that Al-Khidmat is currently providing emergency relief and rescue operations in 46 districts across Pakistan.

"We serve cooked food as well as packed rations," he says.

"The biggest problem is the lack of drinking water, which is also creating diseases.

"For this reason we are sending water purification plants to the areas and medical camps with doctors and stocks of medicine have been set up. We also have 60 ambulances operating in the affected areas."

But the Jamaat is not the only Islamic group operating here.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa Islamic charity is also running a highly effective relief effort.

The group has been accused of being a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba jihadist group, which is accused of carrying out the 2008 Mumbai (Bombay) attacks in which 166 people were killed.

Mr Mujahid said thousands of people had been provided with relief by Jamaat-ud-Dawa so far.

Yet Another organisation active in the relief effort is the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP).

This is considered the most extremist of Pakistan's right-wing religious groups - it deems all non-Sunnis as non-Muslims.

Its splinter group - the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) - is Pakistan's deadliest militant group.

The SSP, however, denies it has any links to the LJ.

Its leaders say their struggle has always remained within the bounds of the law.

'Particularly active'

Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, the president of SSP, says: "As you know we have been listed as an 'especially' banned organisation.

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The main bridge in Malakand region was washed away by the floods, cutting a crucial link between upper and lower Dir. The local administration has built an emergency pedestrian bridge in its place.